Tips, hints, and other advice for a first time NCL cruiser on the Getaway?!?

I've sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Carnival in the past but this will be my first time cruising with Norwegian.

Last year we sailed a 5 night on the Liberty of the Seas.

We are two girls, both single and 30-years-old. Last year we didn't find too many people in their 20s and 30s on our RCCL cruise, but funny enough I sailed on the Celebrity Solstice a few years ago and found plenty of younger single people - grown adults traveling with their families etc. which seemed unusual as even my mother commented about the generally advanced age of the majority of the passengers on our Celebrity ship. Possibly the UBP promo will encourage some groups of friends to NCL haha!

We're booked in an inside room at the moment (one of the square ones on deck 5 - interesting) and are going to try for Vibe passes so if anyone has any experience with those, please do tell. I don't think my parents want to drive us the hour and a bit to the port of Miami at 8 am. Realistically, what time should we try to get there? I haven't really seen too many posts about people getting there around 10 and not getting passes if they headed straight to guest services.

And does anyone have experience in these square shaped cabins on the -away class? I know the NCL site says they're "bigger" but in cruise terms bigger could be an extra 3 sq ft. Is the layout good? Our cabin has room for three people, and in the few photos I could find it looks like the third bed simply flips up against the wall as opposed to retracting into the ceiling like the 3rd and 4th beds usually do. Can anyone confirm that? I feel like it would be an annoyance - a minor one, but an annoyance nonetheless. We're not concerned about noise at night but being on deck 5 we're a bit worried about getting noise early in the morning. Any past deck 5 cruisers want to share their experience?

I have long thick hair, should I be packing my own hair dryer? Probably, eh?

We don't have a dining package so in terms of the complimentary dining, what are some of the better MDR meals you've had? Is Shanghai Noodle Bar a thing or have I read too many damned CC posts and am I confusing myself? Anything amazing at the Garden Cafe we should try? (I heard the macaroni and cheese is really good there and every cruise there's always one or two buffet items that are really outstanding even when everything else is typical cruise buffet food)

If we're not going to be eating at any of the specialty restaurants and not going to Legally Blonde, as a party of two do we really need to make reservations for anything? I imagine we'll go to the duelling pianos and some of the comedy shows, and I've heard Burn the Floor is great, can anyone explain exactly what the Burn the Floor show is? Do we need reservations for any of these? Should we try to see the dancers in the Tropicana Room instead? What nights do they perform?

Our ports are Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. We'll probably just walk around and "shop" and head to a free beach - ship excursions are just too expensive for us right now with the Canadian dollar being so bad. If you have any cheap recommendations of things to do in these places, please let us know!

I've heard a lot about the glow party and all the other stuff at Spice at night, what about Bliss Ultra Lounge? Is that fun? I imagine the parties on the open deck finish earlier and then Bliss is open late?

Is the ice bar worth the $20 entry (we have the UBP so the included drinks aren't really much of an incentive and I can be cold in Canada lol)?

Does O'Sheehan's charge to use the skeeball etc?

Sorry this totally ended up being a hot mess of random questions but any advice is totally appreciated, about NCL or about the Getaway or about any of the ports.

Thanks in advance!

I'll have a go at some of the questions:

Yes there is a Shanghai Noodle Bar. I've always thought it was pretty good. Nothing stands out at the Garden Cafe, but lots of pretty good things.

Burn the Floor is a dancing show. I can't comment on whether it's any good or not (I hated it, but it isn't my thing and I only went because others were), but many people seem it like it. If you really want to make sure you don't miss it then I would make a reservation for it to avoid having to queue in the standby line. If you book it for later in the cruise then you have the option to see if you can get into the earlier show if you want and then cancel the later one.

The comedy show does take reservations, but probably not until you are onboard. I don't know how necessary they are. No reservations are required for Howl at the Moon.

Other than that, no reason that I can see to reserve anything.

Bliss is basically a night club. It opens quite late and I understand that it's quite good if that's your thing. You are right that it opens after the main parties etc.

Not sure what skeeball is, but there is a small charge for the things like pool and air hockey if that's the sort of thing you mean.

I'll have a go at some of the questions:

 

Yes there is a Shanghai Noodle Bar. I've always thought it was pretty good. Nothing stands out at the Garden Cafe, but lots of pretty good things.

 

Burn the Floor is a dancing show. I can't comment on whether it's any good or not (I hated it, but it isn't my thing and I only went because others were), but many people seem it like it. If you really want to make sure you don't miss it then I would make a reservation for it to avoid having to queue in the standby line. If you book it for later in the cruise then you have the option to see if you can get into the earlier show if you want and then cancel the later one.

 

The comedy show does take reservations, but probably not until you are onboard. I don't know how necessary they are. No reservations are required for Howl at the Moon.

 

Other than that, no reason that I can see to reserve anything.

 

Bliss is basically a night club. It opens quite late and I understand that it's quite good if that's your thing. You are right that it opens after the main parties etc.

 

Not sure what skeeball is, but there is a small charge for the things like pool and air hockey if that's the sort of thing you mean.

Is Shanghai Noodle Bar included in our cruise fare? I seem to remember seeing that it was.

Thanks for your replies!

Is Shanghai Noodle Bar included in our cruise fare? I seem to remember seeing that it was.

 

 

 

Thanks for your replies!

Yes, it is now.

Is Shanghai Noodle Bar included in our cruise fare? I seem to remember seeing that it was.

 

Thanks for your replies!

From what I have seen MerDub it is included, along with O'Sheehan's and Flamingo Grill.

See you at the M&G ;)

Awesome. Can it be Sunday now please?!?

I'm hungry just thinking about it.

I've sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Carnival in the past but this will be my first time cruising with Norwegian.

 

Last year we sailed a 5 night on the Liberty of the Seas.

 

We are two girls, both single and 30-years-old. Last year we didn't find too many people in their 20s and 30s on our RCCL cruise, but funny enough I sailed on the Celebrity Solstice a few years ago and found plenty of younger single people - grown adults traveling with their families etc. which seemed unusual as even my mother commented about the generally advanced age of the majority of the passengers on our Celebrity ship. Possibly the UBP promo will encourage some groups of friends to NCL haha!

 

We're booked in an inside room at the moment (one of the square ones on deck 5 - interesting) and are going to try for Vibe passes so if anyone has any experience with those, please do tell. I don't think my parents want to drive us the hour and a bit to the port of Miami at 8 am. Realistically, what time should we try to get there? I haven't really seen too many posts about people getting there around 10 and not getting passes if they headed straight to guest services.

 

And does anyone have experience in these square shaped cabins on the -away class? I know the NCL site says they're "bigger" but in cruise terms bigger could be an extra 3 sq ft. Is the layout good? Our cabin has room for three people, and in the few photos I could find it looks like the third bed simply flips up against the wall as opposed to retracting into the ceiling like the 3rd and 4th beds usually do. Can anyone confirm that? I feel like it would be an annoyance - a minor one, but an annoyance nonetheless. We're not concerned about noise at night but being on deck 5 we're a bit worried about getting noise early in the morning. Any past deck 5 cruisers want to share their experience?

 

I have long thick hair, should I be packing my own hair dryer? Probably, eh?

 

We don't have a dining package so in terms of the complimentary dining, what are some of the better MDR meals you've had? Is Shanghai Noodle Bar a thing or have I read too many damned CC posts and am I confusing myself? Anything amazing at the Garden Cafe we should try? (I heard the macaroni and cheese is really good there and every cruise there's always one or two buffet items that are really outstanding even when everything else is typical cruise buffet food)

 

If we're not going to be eating at any of the specialty restaurants and not going to Legally Blonde, as a party of two do we really need to make reservations for anything? I imagine we'll go to the duelling pianos and some of the comedy shows, and I've heard Burn the Floor is great, can anyone explain exactly what the Burn the Floor show is? Do we need reservations for any of these? Should we try to see the dancers in the Tropicana Room instead? What nights do they perform?

 

Our ports are Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. We'll probably just walk around and "shop" and head to a free beach - ship excursions are just too expensive for us right now with the Canadian dollar being so bad. If you have any cheap recommendations of things to do in these places, please let us know!

 

I've heard a lot about the glow party and all the other stuff at Spice at night, what about Bliss Ultra Lounge? Is that fun? I imagine the parties on the open deck finish earlier and then Bliss is open late?

 

Is the ice bar worth the $20 entry (we have the UBP so the included drinks aren't really much of an incentive and I can be cold in Canada lol)?

 

Does O'Sheehan's charge to use the skeeball etc?

 

Sorry this totally ended up being a hot mess of random questions but any advice is totally appreciated, about NCL or about the Getaway or about any of the ports.

 

Thanks in advance!

I have just past my shoulders length hair and lots of it, and found the hair dryer to be fine. I was always so hot, so I used the cool setting, so it did take a bit longer, but I'm sure it would have been great on hot.

I didn't go to the noodle bar but Taste and Savor were great. As for the buffet, I wish I'd skipped breakfast more and went straight there for lunch, as they had some very yummy looking dishes. My daughter had the pulled pork panini and I had a bite, it was soooo good, I wish I wasn't full from breakfast. Breakfast food was okay at the buffet, but it was always a zoo when we went. The scrambled eggs grossed me out so bad, so omelettes are the way to go! Only ate in Tropicana once and there was a band, no dancers (it was the last night) Wish we'd seen Burn the Floor, heard it was great. Kind of like Dancing with the Stars. Make reservations ahead of time or when you first get on the ship. Some things do fill up and then you have to go to the standby line up.

There's a beach right in front of Margaritaville in Ocho Rios and they had great wifi. I think you can just use the beach, but why not have a drink too ;) Grand Cayman was gorgeous and Royal Palms only charges $2 a head to get in, and then you can lay on the beach or rent a chair. Think they were about $10/each. The cab is only $4/person or you can get on a bus for about $2.50. The exchange rate was brutal and really stopped me from shopping! Probably best since all our bags (3 of them) were 50 lbs each coming home. :eek:

Didn't do any of the other stuff you asked about, but Bliss did look like a very young crowd! Glow party was fun!

H20 adults area was great night and day when you want to hang out outside. Also the breezeway was great where the bars were at. Burn the floor I found boring I fell asleep. The breakfast food everywhere I went for the most part was bad and the pizza is bad except in the Italian restaurant which they discontinued. Food in the main dinning rooms were decent and all the special restarunts were real good. All games in OSheahans cost money I think bowling was $5 a game.

I went on the Getaway this past April as a solo cruiser and it was a blast. A lot of things to do. I ended up getting on the wait list for Vibe Passes and they called me the 2nd day of the cruise to say they had availability. I bought a pass for 79.00 and it was wonderful. It was nice and peaceful. If the passes have been given out see if you can out your name on the wait list with guest services. It worked for me and hopefully will work for you guys. The buffet was very yummy too. Try the crepes.

I think the getaway is a great ship for people under thirty. Most of the dancing only required that you sway or jump. The bliss was horribly disappointing and the Dj didn't even show up on day two.

Legally blonde was mediocre but we loved burn the floor. It is in the theater on two nights.

The pool area is woefully inadequate. So much space dedicated to children. Cabin was well maintained and lots of storage. Hairdryer fine. A more powerful one may blow a fuse.

The itinerary was ho hum if you've been to the eastern islands. We won't go on a large ship again. I like ships that are for about 2,000. So many kids on the January 31 sailing. The kids were well behaved but the ship activities stew towards kid things.

We wanted to try a big ship and now understand the issues. It wasn't that extra walking was in issue. I'll write a long review in a week.

I have long thick hair, should I be packing my own hair dryer? Probably, eh? The Getaway has some pretty fancy hairdryers. It was nicer than the one I brought. The is probably the rare exception where I'd say leave your hairdryer at home.

If we're not going to be eating at any of the specialty restaurants and not going to Legally Blonde, as a party of two do we really need to make reservations for anything? Why not go? Even my 9 year old son loved Legally BlondeI imagine we'll go to the duelling pianos and some of the comedy shows, and I've heard Burn the Floor is great, can anyone explain exactly what the Burn the Floor show is? BTF is an awesome dance show. Do NOT miss it. This is one of the cooler things I've seen. Do we need reservations for any of these? Reservations needed for Legally Blonde and Burn the Floor. I recommend getting to the piano shows early to get good seats.Should we try to see the dancers in the Tropicana Room instead? We didn't bother with this.

Our ports are Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. We'll probably just walk around and "shop" and head to a free beach - ship excursions are just too expensive for us right now with the Canadian dollar being so bad. If you have any cheap recommendations of things to do in these places, please let us know! Ocho Rios - there is a cheap beach near the pier. It doesn't have chairs I believe. Grand Cayman - swimming with the sting rays is a must! Cozumel - Try Paradise Beach - low entrance fee and a short taxi ride away. Costa Maya - There's a pool at the pier. I haven't seen it in person. I'm doing Blue Kay in March. Cheap ride there.

I've heard a lot about the glow party and all the other stuff at Spice at night, what about Bliss Ultra Lounge? Hmm the glow party when we were on Getaway was in H20 outside. It gets WILD.

Is the ice bar worth the $20 entry (we have the UBP so the included drinks aren't really much of an incentive and I can be cold in Canada lol)?I haven't bothered with this on Epic or Getaway.

Does O'Sheehan's charge to use the skeeball etc? I don't remember about skeeball, but darts were free.

We're booked in an inside room at the moment (one of the square ones on deck 5 - interesting) and are going to try for Vibe passes so if anyone has any experience with those, please do tell. I don't think my parents want to drive us the hour and a bit to the port of Miami at 8 am. Realistically, what time should we try to get there? I haven't really seen too many posts about people getting there around 10 and not getting passes if they headed straight to guest services.

Well they probably won't start boarding until noon, maybe 11:30 at the earliest. But the earlier you get there, the less time you have to spend in the security line and check-in counter. At least you can be comfortable sitting in the waiting area instead of standing in lines. When we went on the Getaway in Jan 2015, we got there early by accident - our ride had something to do at 10 so she dropped us off at 9:30am and we were the first in the security area. We had to sit and wait for 30 minutes before they started scanning people. I'd say get there around 10-10:30am. By the time you unload, go through security, and do all your paperwork at the check-in counter, it will be 11:15-11:30 and you won't wait long to board.

And does anyone have experience in these square shaped cabins on the -away class?

If there's only 2 of you, then the 3rd bed hanging shouldn't be a concern unless you plan on doing some weird things :rolleyes: On our cabin crawl which included 15 cabins, there was not one that was square shaped so I can't comment on that.

Anything amazing at the Garden Cafe we should try?

If something looks good, try it. If something looks bad, try it. It's a free, unlimited buffet so try it all - just take a small portion and go back for more if you enjoy it!

If we're not going to be eating at any of the specialty restaurants and not going to Legally Blonde, as a party of two do we really need to make reservations for anything? I imagine we'll go to the duelling pianos and some of the comedy shows, and I've heard Burn the Floor is great, can anyone explain exactly what the Burn the Floor show is? Do we need reservations for any of these? Should we try to see the dancers in the Tropicana Room instead? What nights do they perform?

From my CC review here of the Getaway, "Burn the Floor" was outstanding, despite the dancers sweaty clothes after 10 minutes... but they danced non-stop for an hour! "Legally Blonde" was good, but if you've seen the movie then you've seen this already!

My opinion, but I recommend seeing all shows on NCL. Even the MEH ones are good. 4 different NCL cruises (Dawn, Pearl, Getaway, Star) and there really hasn't been a "bad" show. You paid for the entertainment, why not watch it. As far as reservations, make them early... like the first day or you will be in the waiting queue! It's probably the most annoying thing on the bigger ships that you need to know what you will be doing all week on the first day. Get the iConcierge App on your phone (see my review about it) and you can do all your reservations from the app. I also suggest you check your account every day on the app to make sure you aren't getting charged for something you didn't get (happened to me twice on the Star). Especially if you have the UDP, you don't get receipts to sign anymore.

Our ports are Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. We'll probably just walk around and "shop" and head to a free beach - ship excursions are just too expensive for us right now with the Canadian dollar being so bad. If you have any cheap recommendations of things to do in these places, please let us know!

We pick 1 excursion to do at 1 port. The rest we just get off, browse, shop, or find a beach as well. But if you can swing it, climbing the falls in Ocho Rios is fun and you get some exercise while wading in cool water!

I'd have to look back at pictures and what we did in Grand Cayman but I know we got a taxi and think we went to "7-mile beach"?!? It was gorgeous and I had my own snorkel gear (Walmart - $35) and one of the foldable floats ($15) that were easy to pack. Floated around while snorkeling and looking at the beautiful fish.

Cozumel we usually rent a jeep from the locals (not Alamo) for $60 and drive around the island - first to the south lighthouse Punta Sur (I think it's $4/pp to get in and climb the lighthouse only or $12/pp to do the lighthouse and use the beach by the lighthouse). Then drive another 17 clicks from the lighthouse to a restaurant that we can never remember the name of (sorry). Great food, cheap Dos Equis, and a beautiful cove to snorkel. However, last week the weather was not so great and we walked the strip of stores, got our free charms and jewelry at the shops, and then went to Senor Frogs for about 3 hours with our new friends and got on wifi. Definetely an interesting and fun place. Don't get caught up in the ladies with the whistles and shots - they'll get $20 out of you in a matter of seconds!

Costa Maya we just went to last week. Normally we just peruse the shops, but we made some friends on the ship and they made a reservation at the Tropicante <- follow link. Make a reservation for a table or beach chairs. Steve is the owner and is very nice and informative. Grab a taxi when you get off the ship and tell them Tropicante - it costs $2 per person for the ride. The water is beautiful and the food/drinks are great. Some peddlers are walking around selling stuff. If you don't like what you see just say "No gracias" and they walk away. A great experience. I have pictures on my Google Docs here.

I've heard a lot about the glow party and all the other stuff at Spice at night, what about Bliss Ultra Lounge? Is that fun? I imagine the parties on the open deck finish earlier and then Bliss is open late?

Everything on the ship was extremely loud. We are not old fuddy duddys, but we are not big on loud where you can't talk to others without yelling directly in their ear. Even the Latitudes Rewards party where you should be meeting fellow cruisers and having a drink had extremely blaring music except when the captain was speaking. But hey, if you like loud clubs then you'll love it!

Is the ice bar worth the $20 entry (we have the UBP so the included drinks aren't really much of an incentive and I can be cold in Canada lol)?

It's something different, but it's a gimmick.

Does O'Sheehan's charge to use the skeeball etc?

As stated above, the bowling alleys (which I'm assuming you're referring to as skeeball as it's a small ball to roll on a mini bowling lane at pins on strings) cost $5. If you mean skeeball as in the small balls you roll and try and make the ball jump into the 10/20/30/40/50 target, I think they have those in the video arcade and yes those would cost money too (slide your keycard and it gets charged to your account).

Sorry this totally ended up being a hot mess of random questions but any advice is totally appreciated, about NCL or about the Getaway or about any of the ports.

A mess of questions is good... it means you care about your cruising experience. Enjoy your cruise - you make it what you want. Don't let a bad experience make you upset the whole trip. Take suggestions and comments from others into consideration, but also take them with a grain of salt. While we didn't personally like the Getaway due to all the issues listed in my review, it doesn't mean it won't be your cup of tea. We just enjoy the smaller ships (2k-2.5k passengers). We had the Thermal Spa package and used it quite a bit to get away from all the loudness. We have enough clubs in our area if we want a night of loud music! We want to be entertained, not be deaf ;)

One quick yet useful tip, bring any standard gift card (empty/no balance) to use in your stateroom for the lights. To turn on the lights you need to put your keycard in the slot, and when you leave and take your keycard, the lights go out. It's a pain sometimes using your room key, but it's just a contact and has nothing to do with your specific keycard. Just bring an empty gift card that you can stick in the slot. When you leave the room, just pull it up until the lights turn off and leave the gift card there.

Hello everyone. First time post, enjoyed reading all tips on CC. We are booked on the Getaway on Feb 28. We are 3 couples celebrating our 50th b-days (the boys are) & glad to hear that this ship has plenty of entertainment! I was just wondering about Vibe & our chances of getting passes. Would I be able to purchase passes for my friends as well? Do we all need to go to Guest Services for the passes? My plane lands in FLL at 10:45, so I don't expect to be at port before noon. This is our 2nd cruise. Our past vacations (with our kuds) were more of the all-inclusive type, so any additional info about this ship/restos/excursions would be appreciated.

Ciao!

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Hi MerDub - I'll be sailing with you this Sunday and much looking forward to getting away on the Getaway. You've already received quite a bit of advice, but I'll throw in my two cents as well based on my past experience on the Breakaway (sister ship to Getaway) and all of my research in planning this trip. Looking forward to meeting you at the M&G on Monday!

I've sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Carnival in the past but this will be my first time cruising with Norwegian.

 

Last year we sailed a 5 night on the Liberty of the Seas.

 

We are two girls, both single and 30-years-old. Last year we didn't find too many people in their 20s and 30s on our RCCL cruise, but funny enough I sailed on the Celebrity Solstice a few years ago and found plenty of younger single people - grown adults traveling with their families etc. which seemed unusual as even my mother commented about the generally advanced age of the majority of the passengers on our Celebrity ship. Possibly the UBP promo will encourage some groups of friends to NCL haha!

My experience on the NCL megaships is that they attract a very diverse group in terms of age. You may find more families with kids because (a) the ship offers tons of activities and entertainment for children and (b) it is a shcool break week (at least it is here in NY). But I'm sure there will be plent of singles/solos/friends traveling just based on the size of the ship.

We're booked in an inside room at the moment (one of the square ones on deck 5 - interesting) and are going to try for Vibe passes so if anyone has any experience with those, please do tell. I don't think my parents want to drive us the hour and a bit to the port of Miami at 8 am. Realistically, what time should we try to get there? I haven't really seen too many posts about people getting there around 10 and not getting passes if they headed straight to guest services.

Most of the people who REALLY want passes try to get there early for an early boarding group. Good luck. I have no experience with Vibe, but have heard wonderful things about it. If you don't get Vibe passes, Spice H20 might be a nice alternative for a kid-free zone during the day.

 

And does anyone have experience in these square shaped cabins on the -away class? I know the NCL site says they're "bigger" but in cruise terms bigger could be an extra 3 sq ft. Is the layout good? Our cabin has room for three people, and in the few photos I could find it looks like the third bed simply flips up against the wall as opposed to retracting into the ceiling like the 3rd and 4th beds usually do. Can anyone confirm that? I feel like it would be an annoyance - a minor one, but an annoyance nonetheless. We're not concerned about noise at night but being on deck 5 we're a bit worried about getting noise early in the morning. Any past deck 5 cruisers want to share their experience?

 

I have long thick hair, should I be packing my own hair dryer? Probably, eh?

 

This is a really personal decision. I have shoulder length hair that takes forever to dry. I've generally found the hair dryers to be decent. Certainly not salon quality, but definitely better than what you find screwed into the wall at most hotels.

 

We don't have a dining package so in terms of the complimentary dining, what are some of the better MDR meals you've had? Is Shanghai Noodle Bar a thing or have I read too many damned CC posts and am I confusing myself? Anything amazing at the Garden Cafe we should try? (I heard the macaroni and cheese is really good there and every cruise there's always one or two buffet items that are really outstanding even when everything else is typical cruise buffet food)

The MDR food is pretty good. The menus have recently changed so I am not sure what is still available or how often, but my personal favorites include salmon tartare as an appetizer, potato gnocchi with short rib as an entree, and the famous chocolate volcano for dessert. Also, on "chocolate night" the nutella pot du creme is to die for. I never had anything amazing at the Garden Cafe, but the food is good as far a buffets go. Mostly ate breakfast there and found more than enough choices. I only went to Shanghai Noodle Bar when it was still an upcharge, and it was really good. I think it's generally pretty crowded now that it's a free venue, but if you can get in, I recommend it.

 

If we're not going to be eating at any of the specialty restaurants and not going to Legally Blonde, as a party of two do we really need to make reservations for anything? I imagine we'll go to the duelling pianos and some of the comedy shows, and I've heard Burn the Floor is great, can anyone explain exactly what the Burn the Floor show is? Do we need reservations for any of these? Should we try to see the dancers in the Tropicana Room instead? What nights do they perform?

Definitely try to pre-reserve for Burn the Floor. I LOVED it on the Breakaway and am looking forward to the "latin" version on the Getaway. It is basically a dance revue, with tons of high energy and impressive dancing. Kind of like Dancing with Stars. I don't know what nights they perform in the Tropicana Room. You would have to consult the Freestyle Daily for listings. I also love Howl at the Moon (dueling pianos) and catch it more than once every cruise. It is a lot of fun. There have been rumors that it requires reservations once on board (which was not previously the case), but I am hoping the rumors prove false as the format of the show really lends to spectators and coming and going at will throughout the show.

 

Our ports are Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. We'll probably just walk around and "shop" and head to a free beach - ship excursions are just too expensive for us right now with the Canadian dollar being so bad. If you have any cheap recommendations of things to do in these places, please let us know!

I pre-reserved excursions for all ports, so can't really help you here.

 

I've heard a lot about the glow party and all the other stuff at Spice at night, what about Bliss Ultra Lounge? Is that fun? I imagine the parties on the open deck finish earlier and then Bliss is open late?

Sorry - I travel with a tween girl and am in bed long before the late-nite night life begins.

 

Is the ice bar worth the $20 entry (we have the UBP so the included drinks aren't really much of an incentive and I can be cold in Canada lol)?

 

Does O'Sheehan's charge to use the skeeball etc?

I know they charge for the bowling. I'm not sure about the other games. There is also a huge video arcade with lots of games - including skeeball -available for a fee.

 

Sorry this totally ended up being a hot mess of random questions but any advice is totally appreciated, about NCL or about the Getaway or about any of the ports.

 

Thanks in advance!

May I suggest grabbing a cab in Grand Cayman and going to Calico Jacks. It's a short ride and a beautiful beach. Just buy a drink or a snack and enjoy the beach. It's gorgeous.

Also - check out the Costa Maya page. I'm also planning a visit to Blue Kay which only asks you buy something while you're there.